West African Chef Fatmata Binta Wins Basque Culinary World Prize 2022
West African chef Fatmata Binta has won the Basque Culinary World Prize 2022 for showcasing sustainable nomadic culinary culture and exploring the diaspora of West African cuisine through her innovative “Dine on a Mat” pop-up initiative.
Originally from Sierra Leone, Fatmata Binta, known as Chef Binta, has become a benchmark in Fulani, nomadic and modern cuisine. Heir to the traditions of the largest nomadic tribe in Africa (with more than 20 million people moving tirelessly through vast territories), she strives to spread the essence of this culture with her so-called "Dine on a Mat" initiative, a nomadic restaurant which has offered across three continents an immersive experience in the ways of eating and interacting with the food of the Fulani.
With the pop-up kitchen initiative, launched in 2018, Binta hopes to shine a light on ancestral techniques, including sharing grains, spices, and above all, stories and conversations.
So far her initiative has provided community development, income creation and education. According to her, more than 300 families from 12 communities as well as 4 regions of Ghana currently benefit from the work of Fulani Kitchen Foundation, the organisation behind her pop-up nomadic restaurant.
Responding to her win, Binta has acknowledged with gratitude the BCWP’s decision and has said: “Thank you, Basque Culinary World Prize, for contributing towards a solution that will bring about change for a better community and a better world. We can no longer afford to deny the full potential of women. The world needs to tap into the talent and wisdom of women. Whether the issue is food security, economic recovery or peace, the participation of women is needed now more than ever!"
Now in its 7th year, the BCWP recognises the work of chefs with transformative initiatives and has an economic endowment of €100,000 for a programme chosen by the winner.
Joan Roca, President of the Jury of the Basque Culinary World Prize, said:
“This year's award to chef Fatmata Binta focuses on Africa and that it is possible to grow through cooking, the circular economy, culinary knowledge and the preservation of the traditions of a community where the use of these is key. With this, she sends the message to the world that sustainability must be the norm and not something exceptional, based on common sense, reinforcing female empowerment, and the matriarchal base of these communities.”
